Quicksilver makes Newpark move this spring

In a few months, the many-armed Quicksilver, Inc., which includes Rossignol, Dynastar, Mervin Manufacturing, U.S.A., Lib Technologies and Gnu snowboard brands, will unite their executives from Vermont, Washington and Utah into a temporary building in Newpark.

The transplanted administrators will move into the second floor of the nearly complete three-story office building east of State Road 224, just before the company breaks ground on their 30,000 square-foot permanent residence next door. They anticipate their official headquarters, which they have dubbed their "Mountain Center," will be complete by the summer of 2007.

Rossignol’s Western Slaes Manager Ron Steele says that his office in Clearfield, Utah, will be divided up between Park City and Ogden, where the company plans to hold their distribution center.

Steele supports the move, he says, since Park City has an international airport a less than an hour’s drive away, and 10 resorts within an hour’s drive.

The town itself also suits the Quicksilver’s ethos.

"Certainly, there’s a certain lifestyle being projected up in Park City," Steele said. "Park City really projects a lifestyle that this brand is involved with and it’s not just about alpine skiing. It’s the lifestyle Rossignol leads and it’s the lifestyle Park City leads."

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The idea behind the relocation of Rossignol’s North American Headquarters is to incorporate and consolidate the company to the mountains where the participation in winter sports was high to bring the corporation to "the backyard of where the Nordic skiing and alpine skiing happen."

At the Summit County Planning Commission’s meeting work session March 14, Cottonwood Partners, the developers of the project, discussed some of the latest modifications to the Mountain Center plans. It was the first meeting with the commission after three sessions with the county’s Design Review Committee.

The staff report explained that a building originally approved in 2004 which will become the Mountain Center, would instead use half the space previously planned for the parcel. Plans now calculate the building at 30,984 square feet.

The report added that the Rossignol company wants a building design that "reflects a mountain feel and provides a corporate statement through contemporary mountain architecture." The latest plans propose the building will be 57 feet tall and construction materials including stucco, stone, metal and wood window headers.

Rossignol Vice President of Marketing Steve Dudley says the building will be designed specifically "for us and our needs" and that the original plans for the building were "a little bit bigger and we wanted our own building not to share it."

Thus far, Dudley reports he doesn’t foresee any big problems on the horizon.

"I’ve been involved with our developer, Cottonwood Partners at two or three meetings with [Summit County’s] Design Review Committee to address their needs on the design and what they’re thinking so that it fits with the surrounding buildings," he explained. "Everything seems to be on track. We’re going through the normal political process, if you will, and working with the people in the county to make sure we have all the proper permits."

The next meeting with Summit County, scheduled a few weeks from now, will feature a public hearing, he said.

Not all of Quicksilver’s employees will be making the move, notes Dudley, so the company is in the process of interviewing and hiring for new positions. The new hires will accompany the Dynastar and Rossignol executives from Williston, Vt. and Mervin Manufacturing executives from the Seattle, Wash.

"We look forward to developing the Roxy ski and snowboard line [at the Mountain Center] as well," he said. "Eventually, all of the Quicksilver/Rossignol group winter brands will be located in that building."

Steele noted that though they will be housed together, every Quicksilver brand is distinct. Each will maintain its own identity, direction and marketing plan in the marketplace, while they exchange ideas at the new Mountain Center, he explained.

"It’s a very comfortable move for us. We’re going to be able to bring dealers into visit Rossignol and work with focus groups and product development right there with easy commute times," he said. "It’s going to be exciting and stimulating for our brand — the synergies and level of enthusiasm go across the board."